Singer finds sense of self in song

Rachel Douglas Danielle Ray photo On a recent perfectly crisp and sunny fall day, a burgeoning singer-songwriter shared her gift with the people in attendance of the Hey Day/Farm Day at Mass. Audubon's Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary in Princeton. The songs were rich with melody and stories, and layer upon layer of notes filled the fragrant autumn air with a most pleasant sound.

Rachael Douglas started her musical career at age five, playing on an upright piano, before "gratefully" taking lessons when she was nine; it wasn't long before she realized she could compose her own music, she said, and so she set about on the path taken by many of storytelling through song.

"I tried to take lessons on several different occasions after that time, but they just never seemed to stick," she said. "I've been composing for 22 years now, and there's no sign of stopping. With me, inspiration is usually sparked by emotion, or experiences. My children or husband can often evoke in me a love that I just need to express. Sometimes even frustrated emotions are balanced out by the outlet of my dear friend, the piano. Close friends' experiences can also drive a passion which steers me straight to the piano bench. If it's just too serious, I'll slap a sense of humor onto it and call it a day. But, no matter what, there's always a lesson or special reason for writing each song. I'm a

bit of a storyteller in that way."

Douglas grew up in Sterling but now resides in Paxton with her family.

Her songs are laced with a humor and wit only truly great writers can convey, but they also deal with deeper issues such as the profound but often heart-wrenching love for a child, "spending more time with our kids, making Mother Nature our heaven and spending more time outdoors, making the most of every situation, [and] focusing on the silver linings in everyday life situations," she said.

For Douglas, storytelling through song seems to come easily. She says she is inspired by the ordinary to the out-of-thisworld life experiences of not only herself, her family, and close friends, but also being out in the wide scope and breadth of nature.

"If I happen upon a chord or series of chords that strike me as interesting, I will then add the rhyme and rhythm," she said. "Over the years this seems to work best for me. However, some of my favorite lyrics have been written while sitting amongst the ferns or along ocean sides."

Douglas added: "Natural landscapes create the best atmosphere for creativity. My creative process follows one rule and one rule only: anything goes! If I'm inspired, then great. If I'm not, then it's time to practice and polish up old songs until the new ones create themselves. There's no force involved; it has to happen naturally or not at all."

Her singing voice is melodic and soothing, and listening to her original tunes gives you a sense of what emotions she is truly trying to transmit through her art. Although she is proud of all her songs, she cites "As Far as the Earth Goes" as her favorite. She penned the tune and lyrics when she was pregnant with her third daughter, and one stanza flows as follows:

"As far as the earth goes, as deep as the sea/Higher than the stars float, that's how much you mean to me. No matter the weather or the skies turning grey/rain or shine my love for you is always the same. Though we live in a house that we call a home/if we lived in a shoe wouldn't we make that home, too?"

Douglas said the song is based on a game she plays with her three daughters called "I love you more than. …" "The winner is the person who comes up with the most outrageous explanation to measure their love," she said.

Of course, like any other artist, Douglas is inspired by others, both contemporary and classic figures in the wide scope of the musical genre.

"Asking me which musical artists inspire me is like asking me to choose a favorite color — I love them all! The ones who stand out in my mind are originals like Eva Cassidy, Norah Jones, James Marshall, the Beatles, Tori Amos, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Bjork … these people have stretched boundaries in some way or another for me. I might play nothing like them, but the fact is they took their potential and drove it into the sky," said Douglas.

She has been a musician for over two decades and has performed at school functions and in church for special music; but it wasn't until recently that Douglas decided to take her performing to a new level and pursue not only sharing her music with the masses but also maybe turning a small profit by doing so. Plans for recording full-length records are in the works, too.

"Over the next five years I have plans to professionally record my secular, spiritual and children's songs on three separate CDs. I've written hundreds of songs, but as of yet they are all amateur recordings. I also really enjoy playing for an audience, so I hope to continue playing for upcoming events," she said.

Douglas has had the opportunity to record some of her music with the help of her brother Michael Cobb, who is also a musician as well as a graphic designer. Cobb has built a studio of sorts in his Watertown home, and Douglas often escapes there on weekends to simply jam out with him and record what they come up with.

"[Michael] has probably been the most influential in helping me stretch my wings," she said. "He always forces me to think outside of the box. After a recording session with Mike, I come home to my kids and husband a complete person. As a stay-at-home-mom of three, it's been very easy to lose myself in taking care of everyone else," said Douglas.

In addition to playing at a couple of Audubon events, Douglas recently began a regular gig some Sunday mornings at the Unity Church of Central Massachusetts in Worcester. She said although she has some stage fright, the satisfaction she gets from getting up and playing in front of people has outweighed those fears.

"The thing I love most about composing/singing/ playing is creating," she said. "I come from an artistic family, and if we aren't doing something creative and new, we're basically bored! I'm a bit of a fun-aholic, I guess. The second thing I love about playing is the reaction that I get from people. If I can connect with an audience, through common experiences put to music, then I'm psyched!"

Douglas played at the Audubon farm in Princeton for both Hey Day and the Butterfly Festival, and saw those as great opportunities for not only a physical outlet for her creative juices but also to introduce herself to the audience.

"If I play for a wedding or a funeral, it's a gift for whomever I'm playing for," she said. "But when I have the opportunity to sing and play my songs, I'm the one who's receiving the gift. Having a crowd to cheer you along is the most amazing feeling. … My favorite performance was for the Paxton Coffee House crowd. There is nothing like having a group of kids, including your own, line up in the front row. They are the best kind of audience. If people are inspired in any way by my music, then I have just been given the greatest gift. It's nice to be able to play and sing, but to share that musical expression is a complete experience."

Douglas has stayed home to raise her three daughters, ages 11, 8 and 3, and although she wouldn't trade it for any dream job out there, she says devoting more time to music in the recent months has been gratifying for her sense of who she is. Her family, including her children and husband Anthony ("my best friend since I was 13"), often accompany her to her gigs, and Douglas said she loves seeing them sitting front and center, enjoying the tunes along with the rest of the audience and knowing the inside jokes the songs share about her family.

"I think it's so important to love yourself enough to take even 15 minutes per day and put it towards a dream," she said. "Everyone has one ... that one thing you feel you were put on this Earth to do. It doesn't matter what age you are, or what obstacles face you. I really hope some mother who needs a lil' push will read this and be inspired. I really believe that positive thoughts or negative thoughts are our prayers. If you pray positively, there's no telling what you can do."